


Debrief

by SeriesofUnfortunateFangirling



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Canonical Character Death, Coldwave Week 2018, Episode Related, Episode: s01e03 Blood Ties, Episode: s01e04 White Knights, Episode: s01e05 Fail-Safe, Episode: s01e10 Progeny, Episode: s01e12 Last Refuge, Episode: s01e13 Leviathan, Episode: s01e15 Destiny, Episode: s01e16 Legendary, Implied Sexual Content, Jealous Mick Rory, Jealousy, M/M, Protective Leonard Snart, Protective Mick Rory, Protectiveness, Season/Series 01
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-31
Updated: 2018-05-31
Packaged: 2019-05-16 15:21:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14813900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeriesofUnfortunateFangirling/pseuds/SeriesofUnfortunateFangirling
Summary: It became part of the post-mission routine for Jax to work on the engine room of the Waverider.  He didn’t mean to, but listening to Leonard and Mick debrief also became routine.OR5 times Jax listened to Mick and Leonard talk after missions, and 1 time he had to do the talking.For Coldwave Week Day Four: Protectiveness/Jealousy Day





	Debrief

**Author's Note:**

> The Major Character Death is the canonical death of Snart.  
> Rated T for swears and implied sexual content.

1 – After Blood Ties

“Mr. Jackson!”

Jax stopped when he heard Rip’s call and turned to face the captain, expecting to be yelled at for helping Snart and Rory mess with the timeline. Surprisingly, Rip was smiling as he beckoned for Jax to join him at the main console.

“Excellent work with the Jump Ship repairs. Seeing as I won’t be able to get the Waverider properly serviced any time soon, I was wondering if you would like to learn how she works. Gideon can help, of course, all of the schematics are saved to the database. It would be very beneficial to have a knowledgeable mechanic, if you’d like to give it a go,” Rip looked to Jax for an answer.

Jax smiled. He really had missed working with his hands, and repairing the Jump Ship had been relatively easy once he looked at the manual. “Sure thing,” Jax agreed.

“Right, let me show you to the engine room,” Rip began walking down the corridor lined with the team’s sleeping quarters. The engine room was at the end of the hall. “After our fight with Chronos earlier, I would like you to run a diagnostic to make sure everything’s all right. If you wouldn’t mind checking now?”

“It’s cool, I wasn’t ready to sleep yet,” Jax said as he moved into the engine room.

“I’ll leave you to it, then.” Rip’s coat billowed behind him as he headed back to the bridge.

“Gideon, can you pull up the manual for the engine room?” Jax called as he went over to a screen on the wall. It lit up with the information Jax needed, and he began to check that everything was running smoothly.

He worked in silence for a while, but soon voices began carrying from the room next door. Jax was happy to ignore it, until he heard his name.

“Jax made a pretty decent getaway driver tonight, he could be useful to us,” the first voice, Snart, said.

“I don’t think we should bring him in, he’s got the professor in his head all the time, too strong of a moral compass.” Rory.

“Now, now, Mick, you saw that smirk. I think he liked it.”

“Never mind the kid, the Englishman won’t let us take the Jump Ship again.”

“What the captain doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”

“Snart…”

“You know I can lift the Jump Ship key any time I want.”

“I don’t like it.”

“What, two days with all these do-gooders and you’re going soft on me? I thought we wanted to steal some stuff.”

“Yeah, when I thought we were stealing stuff for us, not for your old man.”

“Like it mattered, he got caught trying to sell it, stupid son of a bitch.”

“It did matter! It could’ve changed everything!” Mick yelled.

“But it didn’t. Now, since we’re headed to the 80’s…”

“No, Leonard. I’m not done talking about this.”

“Well, I am.”

“No, we aren’t! Look, I came on this ship because you said we could steal shit. I agreed to this mission because you said it would be just another job. But if you go pulling stunts like that, there might not be a you on this ship.”

“Mick, I had to try. I would never have forgiven myself if I didn’t take the opportunity to make Lisa’s life easier.”

“What about your life, huh? I know all about your bastard of an old man, and you know how many times I wanted to kill him for what he did to you and Lisa. But you’re you because of what he did. If he had gotten away with that emerald sale, he would’ve been home with you. What’s to say he wouldn’t have started hitting you anyway? Or maybe he would’ve made you go on more cons with him as a little kid. What if you had been thrown in juvie earlier than fourteen? You still would have been a shrimpy fish that was too smart for his own good. And maybe this time I wouldn’t be there to save you from that shiv. What then? You would be dead, and I’d be locked up or dead too.”

“Mick…”

“You have to use that big fucking brain of yours and think stuff through. Usually you look at every angle. You had to know something like this could have happened. Don’t expect me to be okay with you pulling shit like this. Or is everything we have been through together something you’re fine with throwing away?”

“That’s not fair and you know it. Lisa deserved so much better than she got. I had to try.”

“So steal some cash and put it in one of our safe houses for us to find. Don’t do anything for that asshole. And don’t do anything that could take you out of the picture. I might not have been there to protect you if you go changing the past. I need to know I was there to protect you as best I could, Len.”

“You did, Mick. I’m not sorry I tried, but I would have been sorry if it had cost me you.”

Jax wasn’t sure when he had stopped working on the engine, but now that the voices had faded he realized he had just been standing still, listening. He quickly got back to work, thankful that the criminals didn’t know he had been eavesdropping.

“Well, lucky for us, time wanted us to stay together.” Rory’s voice came again.

“We mustn’t let time think us ungrateful,” Snart said.

“No.”

“We should probably show just how appreciative we are that we’re still here, together.”

“Fuck yeah!”

“Precisely.”

On second thought, he could finish working on the engine after he had slept. Right now, Jax needed to get far away from Snart and Rory’s room. This was something he didn’t want to overhear.

\---

2 – After the Prison Break in Fail-Safe

After the successful prison break and the return of Gray, Ray, and Rory, Jax again found himself in the engine room of the Waverider. He was tasked with checking for damage from the nuclear explosion of Dr. Vostok. He was still going through the tests when voices carried from the room next door.

“Mick, are you sure you’re…”

“I’m fine, Snart. Gideon said I was fine, so drop it.”

“I never should have left you behind at the lab.”

“I told you to get the hell out of there.”

“But the Code! Never leave…”

“One of your own behind, I know. The Englishman didn’t give you much choice. And I didn’t want you stuck with me. I knew you’d come get me out.”

“Damn right I was coming. I would’ve killed Rip and stolen the ship if I had to. I’ll always come for you.”

“I know, Len.”

The voices stopped for a moment, and Jax realized he had been listening again. He really should let them have these moments in private. He tried to focus on the engine, but the voices started up again.

“Careful, Snart. I took a punch there when I heard your voice in the prison and you distracted me.”

“Well, allow me to make it up to you.”

“Mr. Snart, I have a question regarding Mr. Palmer’s case report,” the voice of Captain Hunter sounded down the corridor.

“We’re supposed to make case reports?” Rory asked.

“Must be for one of Boy Scout’s badges,” Snart replied.

“Mr. Palmer said that you’ve been lifting wallets during missions. It’s one thing to charm people into helping, but it’s another thing entirely to be stealing throughout history. In the future, please try to keep your fingers out of people’s pockets.” Rip said. 

“But we were in the past, Captain.” Jax could hear the smirk in Snart’s voice.

“You know bloody well…” Rip sighed. “Just don’t let it happen again, Mr. Snart.” The sound of Rip’s footsteps and swishing coat faded.

“Now, where were we?” 

“What did he mean, charm people?” Rory sounded different now, his voice was lower than usual.

“Couldn’t say, I’m always charming,” Snart deflected.

“Hey, voice thing, what did Snart do that was so charming?”

“According to the transcripts, Mr. Snart said ‘it was a romantic evening and he didn’t want to spoil the mood,’ followed by Mr. Palmer saying ‘so besides a steamy good night kiss…’” Gideon was cut off.

“You kissed the Russian?”

“Mick…”

“I thought Boy Scout was supposed to handle the broad.”

“Well, he struck out and the plan changed.”

“I should’ve killed her, or at least let her kill you.”

“Now Mick, you know we have to sweet talk the mark sometimes.”

“That sounds like more than sweet talk!”

“So she kissed me, it didn’t mean anything.”

“SNART!”

The tests were finished with no sign of damage, and Jax was ready to leave the engine room. The only problem was he had to go past the fighting criminals.

“Mick, as much as I enjoy getting you all hot and bothered, there’s really nothing to be jealous of here. Besides, she exploded.”

“You better not go kissing anyone else.”

“Of course not.”

Jax sighed in relief and got ready to walk past Snart and Rory. As he passed, he couldn’t help but throw his own comment over his shoulder.

“Rory, if you’re going to be jealous of anyone, be jealous of Gideon. Snart asked her to bone him.” Jax yelled.

Snart let out a long-suffering sigh. “Thanks ever so, Jax.”

“You asked the floating head to bone you? I’ll show you bone…”

Jax couldn’t get out of there fast enough.

\---

3 – After Progeny

Jax was once again running diagnostics and tinkering with the engine of the Waverider after Mick had shared that a new group of hunters would be coming for them. Now that Mick was back on the team’s side, Jax spared a moment to wonder if he would hear Snart and Rory discuss the mission. After seeing how beat up Leonard had looked at the team meeting, he figured that the criminals hadn’t quite made up yet. He was keeping an ear out just in case.

Jax didn’t have to wait long for a knock on the door to the room next to the engine room. He strained his ears for a response to the knock, but none came.

“Snart, it’s me, open up.”

Still nothing.

“I know you’re in there, let me in.”

“I’m not in the mood, Mick.”

Jax peeked out the door to see Mick standing in the corridor, hands balled into fists, but still standing at the door. It was quiet for a moment, before Mick said “Leonard.”

Jax wasn’t sure if Snart had heard Rory almost whisper his name, because nothing happened at first. But then the door whooshed open and Jax ducked back into the engine room so he wouldn’t get caught eavesdropping.

“What do you want, Mick?”

“Just wanted to make sure I hadn’t killed you after all that.”

“I can take a few hits, Mick. You know that better than anyone.”

“Yeah, and I know you can give a few hits too. But you didn’t. You just stood there and took it.”

“Do you expect me to apologize for letting you hit me?”

“Yes!”

“Well I’m not going to.”

“Leonard, I could have killed you. I would have killed you.”

“And I would have let you.”

“Why are you so quick to let yourself get killed, huh?”

“I thought it’s what you wanted.”

“You never gave a rat’s ass about what I wanted. Not when it didn’t benefit you.”

“Mick…”

“No, Snart, you never let anyone get the upper hand on you like that. I taught you better than that. I don’t care if you were feeling guilty, you don’t just roll over and take it.”

“You wanted out, I was giving you an out.”

“Whenever anyone else wanted out, you killed them.”

“We both know you’re not just anyone.”

“And we both know you’ve never put yourself in a position to die. What the fuck was that Leonard? You’ve been through too much to go out like that.”

“Well maybe I didn’t want to live in a world where you would threaten Lisa!”

There was a long moment of silence after that. Jax was frozen to his spot in the engine room, afraid to breathe in case he pushed the tension over the edge.

“Lenny, you know I’d never hurt Lisa.”

“You wouldn’t. But you weren’t you anymore, Mick. We’ve been mad at each other before, and there were times where I thought we were done for good, but you never looked at me like you looked at me on that ship. I was never afraid of you before you said her name like she meant nothing to you.”

“Len…”

“So forgive me for letting you almost kill me, because I’d rather die than be afraid of you.”

Another pause.

“Lenny, I’m sorry. You’re right, I wasn’t me anymore. The Time Masters saw to that, the bastards. They tortured me for lifetimes so that I would want to hurt you. But it took lifetimes for them to get it out of me. They got me to turn on the rest of these heroes pretty quick, but it took forever for them to make me turn on you. Even then I still flew the ship around in circles so the Legends would find us so they could kill me first. I never wanted to hurt you or Lisa.”

“When you went out to fight them, I knew you were trying to get yourself killed.”

“And you maimed yourself to stop me.”

“Gideon grew my hand back.”

“You didn’t know that would work. You froze off your hand like it was nothing, even though it was destroying the part of you that you need to lift wallets and crack safes and be everything you are. You did it to stop them from killing me.”

“Looks like I’m not the only one that’s quick to die.”

“We gotta stop thinking that way.”

“I can’t promise that. My priority is you, Mick.”

“Well can you at least promise that you’ll use that big brain of yours to try to get us both out?”

“Of course.”

Jax smiled to himself at that. It seemed that the opposing forces had managed to balance each other out again. He crept past their door and headed to his own room. If these hunters were coming, he’d need some sleep.

\---

4 – After Last Refuge

Jax found himself back in the engine room after dropping off all of the Pilgrim’s victims. He needed something to keep himself occupied after saying goodbye to his dad. When the familiar sounds of Mick and Leonard began filtering in, he welcomed the sense of normalcy.

“It was good to see Lisa again. She sure gave the Englishman a run for his money.”

Leonard chuckled. “My sister could do that to anyone, but it was satisfying to see her throwing things at Rip when she heard about our misadventures. She nearly pummeled him when she heard about the Russian prison break.”

“I still think we should have let her hit him.”

“Unfortunately, Gideon would have taken his side and sedated Lisa. Damn AI and her loyalty.”

Mick grunted at that, and the two fell silent. It didn’t last long, and soon Snart was clearing his throat. “What did you talk to your younger self about?”

“Told him he better had done a good job of watching out for you. He didn’t do too bad, guess you’ve always had me wrapped around your finger.”

“Not that, I saw you go talk to him at the house. What did you say to him?”

“I told him to be better than me.”

“What?”

“I told him he shouldn’t hate himself for what happened, that the fire wasn’t his fault. Told him he can’t change the past, but he can change who he is, that he can be better than me. I want him to be better than me.”

“Mick, there is no better.”

“I could have been so much better.”

“But then I wouldn’t have you. And I couldn’t ask for a better partner. You are the best brother to Lisa, the best protector, the best person for me, and I wouldn’t have you any other way.”

“Even though I love the flame too much?”

“Always.”

Jax felt like he was intruding this time, but after the day he had he couldn’t bring himself to care. Hearing how important every event in a person’s life was and how each thing led to the next, it made him feel better about not being able to fix his life and keep his dad from dying.

“Mick, you know it’s not true, right? What you said about not having anyone. You have me.”

“Yeah, Lenny, I know.”

“Good.”

“But maybe you could remind me that I have you.”

“What did you have in mind?”

Jax had needed familiar, but now he needed to get the hell out of the engine room.

\---

5 – After Leviathan

Jax was once again working on the engine of the Waverider, this time trying to repair the damage from the fight with the giant robot. He had been running around reconnecting wires and parts throughout the ship, and was now back in the engine room with the voices of the team’s criminals keeping him company.

“Savage’s daughter must not have known too much about us if she questioned our desire to steal her bracelet,” Leonard was saying.

“Whatever you need to tell yourself so you can go on thinking you’re a sneaky, mysterious criminal and not one that shows off, boss,” Mick answered.

“At least I don’t go around setting fires to alert the cops to our presence.”

“No, but how many times have you begged someone to call 911 so you can prove you’re better than everyone else.”

“No need to prove something that’s known to be true.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Mick grunted. “So, you ok?”

“Never better, Mick.”

“Figured talking about your old man might’ve brought up some stuff.”

“It made it easier for me to show Cassandra the error of her father’s ways.”

“World’s full of crap fathers, Snart, but yours took the cake.”

“He was a real son of a bitch, wasn’t he?”

“Should’ve let me kill him for you.”

“Well, I took care of him eventually.”

“Yeah. You sure you’re good?”

“I’m fine, Mick. Thanks for checking in, though.”

Mick grunted again.

“But you know what would make me feel better?”

“More drinking, less feeling.”

“Something a bit more… mutually beneficial.”

Jax was pretty sure he needed to check that he had rerouted the wires correctly on the Bridge. He needed to check that right away.

\---

+1 – After Legendary

Jax was running tests on the engine. The team had taken down Savage. They had completed their mission, and they were going home.

Well, almost all of them.

Jax couldn’t help but feel like something was missing while he was working on the engine. There were no sounds coming from the room next door. It was hard to break the habit of listening in for the criminal duo’s mission debriefs. But Jax supposed there was nothing to listen to now that the duo was now just one. 

Which was why it was such a shock when he heard a crash followed by a voice coming from their room.

“Stupid son of a bitch!” 

Crash!

“Snarky asshole!”

Crash!

“Goddamn idiot!”

Silence.

Jax hadn’t even realized he had started walking to the door until he had already left the engine room. He stood in front of the open door to what used to be Snart and Rory’s room.

“How could you? How could you fucking do this?”

“Mick?”

Rory spun around fast, eyes blazing. “What?”

“I’m sorry…”

“What do you have to be sorry for? It’s not like you killed him. He didn’t die for you. He died for me. He promised he wouldn’t do that.”

“Technically he promised he would try to use his big brain to try to get you both out alive,” Jax said it without thinking. He winced after it came out, expecting Rory to be angry.

Mick deflated. He sat down heavily on the bed and looked down at a silver ring that he had clasped in his hands. 

“I told him to get out. He never listened to me. Should’ve known he’d go out like this. I was supposed to protect him, but he always protected me. Bastard told me to forgive him. He’s not the one who needs forgiving. How am I supposed to forgive myself knowing he got himself killed for me?”

Jax sat down next to Rory but didn’t move to touch him. He wasn’t sure how much he could help, but he had to try.

“Look, Mick, I know it probably doesn’t help much, but you were always his priority. You know, after we thought he’d killed you, I told him he was a monster. I didn’t see it at first, how broken up he was about leaving you. And when I did, I thought it was because he had to choose between protecting us and you. But he didn’t. He was always trying to protect you. He left you behind so we wouldn’t kill you, even though it about killed him to do it. He didn’t even try to tell us he hadn’t killed you, just let us go about calling him a monster. Point is, he couldn’t leave you behind again. And I know he’s still gone, and it might make you feel worse, but he really did care about you.”

Jax looked over at Mick, who was looking at the floor. He wasn’t sure if he had just made everything worse, he should’ve just stayed out of it like he had every other time. Jax figured he should probably just go. He got up and started to walk out of the room, but Mick’s voice stopped him.

“Thanks, kid. It was too quiet in here without him.”

“Yeah, man. Anytime.”

Jax made his way out into the corridor and back into the engine room. He started working again in silence. After some time had passed, he heard a voice.

“Thanks for protecting me, partner. I don’t think I can forgive you yet, but I’ll work on it.”

Jax asked Gideon to turn on some music. Rory was right. It was too quiet without Snart. 

And if Mick started humming along, well, Jax wouldn’t say anything about that.


End file.
